Spring 2024
Module 06
Regulation of take
Regulation of take
Even with vast power, wildlife mgmt often rests with states
Federal laws often:
Very strong protections
Bans the take of listed species
“Emergency Room” approach
Often criticized for being too strong
Often falls back to ethical position (biocentric vs utilitarian)
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Authority is split between the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
ESA only protects those species that are posted on a formal list
A species is endangered if the FWS finds that it is “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.”
A species is threatened if it is “likely to become an endangered species in the foreseeable future.”
Same protections are afforded to both
Listing can occur via two ways
Defining the species (species is undefined in the ESA)
Critical habitat must also be defined
Economics and politics not considered in decisions to list
Listing can be challenged in court because it rests on scientific expertise
Candidate species are species that are being considered for listing
States can have their own lists that differ from the Federal List (remember more restrictive, not less)